ROCHESTER — Funding is expected be restored to the state’s Children in Need of Services, or CHINS, program this fall.

School officials say the program will work cohesively with the district’s truancy program, which holds parents accountable for student’s with excessive absences.

“This is such an important piece of support to have back for adolescents and families in our state,” said Assistant Superintendent Mary Moriarty.

The N.H. Department of Health and Human Services site defines a CHINS as “habitually, willfully and without good and sufficient cause, truant from school,” in relation to truancy. For the full list of qualifications, check out the DHHS website or the state’s judicial branch website.

According to state law, RSA 193-1, parents can be held accountable for student truancy from the ages of 6 through 18. The district’s truancy policy follows through with that. Parents of students with excessive absences can face legal recourse for their child’s compulsory attendance violations. However, in cases where the parents are not a part of the problem, CHINS can play an important role in holding the student accountable.

“The current statute for truancy states in part that if a student misses 10 half days of unexcused absences from school a petition for truancy can be filed by the district,” said Robin Laroche, Court Liaison for the Rochester School District.

According to the district’s student/parent handbook, any absence other than an excused absence, whether from a single class or the whole school day, is considered truancy.

Over the past year, several parents within the district have been sent to court for children with high absence counts, one with a count over 250. In total, the Rochester Police Department has charged 11 parents throughout the year, with 8 of those cases expected to be heard this week. At their hearings, parents are given the option of a trial or enrollment in a diversion program for both themselves and their children.

If parents opt for a trial and are found guilty, they can face a fine of up to $1,000. According to police, the ideal outcome is that parents opt for the diversion program, which consists of a four-week program in which the parents and children meet with counselors.

“The cases where the parents are actively involved in attempting to address the attendance issues and the students are still truant from school can result in a CHINS petition for truancy,” said Laroche.

“We will still be working with the school department on excessive absences,” said Deputy Chief Scott Dumas of the effect of the restoration of the CHINS program on the police department. He explained there will be no change in how they approach truancy issues.

The school department spent the last year combating the growing rates of truancy with the police department, as the funding for CHINS was cut. With CHINS funding restored, the district’s truancy program will remain and work hand-in-hand with CHINS.

“We need both,” said Superintendent Michael Hopkins. He explained that the two complement each other.

“We are going to look at our current structure and see how we can implement the CHINS program into that structure,” said Moriarty.

The program will be added to the many layers of options the school goes through before a case is submitted to police. Cases where children are causing the problem independent of their parents may now be considered for the CHINS program.

The district has already put many tiers of intervention in place. “I wouldn’t recommend we change that,” said Hopkins.

“When they’ve exhausted all other avenues, we’re the last resort,” said Dumas. CHINS will now be an additional tier that is utilized in appropriate cases.

“It has been a missing link in our work to improve student attendance and engagement in school,” said Moriarty.

Hopkins explained that over the last year there were a few cases that had gone through all tiers and were referred to police, but were denied because they determined the issue was with the students not the parents. Cases that fall into this category may be ideal for the CHINS program.

“It will help us intervene with supports early on so we wont need to rise to the higher level interventions,” said Moriarty.

The program is expected to assist the district’s truancy program, with the end goal being getting students to attend classes.

“A successful school experience is dependent on good attendance,” said Moriarty.

“Our priority is to get these kids back into schools any way we can,” said Dumas